Latest working kernel version: don't know Earliest failing kernel version: don't know but tried 2.6.27.8-6 with same problem Distribution: openSuse 11.1 Hardware Environment: laptop HP 8730w Software Environment: Problem Description: Every time I boot, system stops in different stage and wait until I press any key or touch mouse or touch-pad, some times helps only if I press HP specific keys like "HP Info" or "Presentation key". System stops many number of times which is always different as a place where it stops. I think it is specific problem for some HP laptops. I found very similar problem with Fedora 8 reported September 2007: http://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=277961 Today replaced openSuse kernel with mainline kernel with same result. It is very annoying as I have to boot with pressing keyboard. There is not any errors in boot logs. Steps to reproduce: just install Linux on this laptop report from ver_linux> Linux test 2.6.28-9-default #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon Jan 12 22:38:49 CET 2009 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux Gnu C 4.3 Gnu make 3.81 binutils 11.1 2.19 util-linux 2.14.1 mount support module-init-tools 3.4 e2fsprogs 1.41.1 reiserfsprogs 3.6.19 pcmciautils 015 PPP 2.4.5 Linux C Library 2.9 Dynamic linker (ldd) 2.9 Procps 3.2.7 Net-tools 1.60 Kbd 1.14.1 Sh-utils 6.12 udev 128 wireless-tools 30 Modules Loaded lp joydev nvidia i2c_core vboxnetflt vboxdrv af_packet xt_tcpudp xt_pkttype ipt_LOG xt_limit xt_physdev bridge stp bnep rfcomm sco l2cap snd_pcm_oss binfmt_misc snd_mixer_oss snd_seq xt_NOTRACK ipt_REJECT xt_state iptable_raw iptable_filter nf_conntrack_netbios_ns nf_conntrack_ipv4 nf_conntrack nf_defrag_ipv4 ip_tables cpufreq_conservative cpufreq_userspace cpufreq_powersave ip6_tables acpi_cpufreq x_tables microcode fuse loop dm_mod pata_pcmcia hid_dell hid_pl hid_cypress hid_zpff hid_gyration hid_bright hid_sony hid_samsung snd_usb_audio hid_microsoft hid_tmff arc4 snd_usb_lib hid_monterey hid_ezkey ecb ide_cs hid_apple hid_a4tech ide_core usblp snd_rawmidi hid_logitech usb_storage snd_seq_device ff_memless snd_hda_intel hid_cherry iwlagn hid_sunplus iwlcore hid_petalynx snd_pcm hid_belkin snd_timer usbhid rfkill hid_chicony snd_page_alloc pcmcia sdhci_pci led_class video snd_hwdep hid sdhci ppdevyenta_socket ohci1394 mac80211 sr_mod output snd rsrc_nonstatic ac pcspkr battery btusb button cdrom rtc_cmos pcmcia_core container ieee1394 mmc_core ricoh_mmc iTCO_wdt parport_pc rtc_core wmi e1000e iTCO_vendor_support cfg80211 soundcore rtc_lib parport bluetooth intel_agp sg sd_mod crc_t10dif ehci_hcd uhci_hcd usbcore edd ext3 mbcache jbd fan thermal processor thermal_sys hwmon ahci libata scsi_mod
Just tested without any binary modules (VirtualBox and Nvidia) with same result.
Maybe it's related to this bug: http://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=12269 Try to see if "top" run well in the console. Also use the boot kernel option acpi=off.
Problem almost disappeared after BIOS was updated. Now it occurs only one time during the one from ten or so cold starts. So it was probably BIOS related. - BIOS version F.08 when problem occurs most of the time I boot. Now I'm using version F.0A. May be somebody from HP could say what changed in BIOS. I tested acpi=off before I changed BIOS without success and there was more problems when acpi set to off. (No multiple processors, no battery recognized, and many more, so it is definitively no way).